In looking to our forefathers for guidance, I think it is important to remember that one of their major complaints was that they had no representation. Our forefathers had actually organized politically long before the revolution and controlled many of the colonial legislatures. They owned newspapers. They were important leaders in their communities.

They weren't guys who were solely organized around the idea of an armed confrontation. They were masters of all the tools of modern warfare - communications, PR, information, logistics.

The great thing about the system they set up is it serves as a pretty reliable proxy for warfare without the destruction of infrastructure. If you can't win a political campaign, you probably aren't going to win an armed conflict either.

You are correct. Convincing someone to vote for you is a hell of a lot easier than convincing them to pick up their gun a follow you to war.

If you have the ability to convince the requisite number of people to follow you to revolution through arms you certainly have he ability to recruit enough to win at the ballot box.